Safe



P. S. MILLICE.

SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19.1920.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l- 7 4. 5 f m V r P. S'. MILLICE.

SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19.1920.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

In /en for.

P. s. MILL-ICE.

SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED JUL Y 19,1920- 1,404,044=. .Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4- UNITED STATES PilENT OFFICE.

PAUL 'S. MILLIGE, OF HAMILTON, CHIC, ASSIGNGTR TO HERRING-HALL-MARVIN SAFE COMPANY, OF NEXV YORK, N. Y., A SOBPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SAFE.

Application filed July 19,

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it Known that 1, PAUL S. MILLIGE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, in the countyof Butler and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful lniprovements in Safes. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to safes, and has for its object the provision of novel means for enhancing the fire-resisting properties ot a sa le.

I have found that one of the great considerations for enhancing the lire-resisting properties of a safe is to prevent passage of gases, oxygen or air, or circulation, through the joints at the door or doors of the safe. Attempts have heretofore been made to accomplish this purpose, but these have been found wanting when the safe has been subjected to comparatively severe tests or fires. By means of my invention the fire-resisting qualities of a: safe are very materially enhanced, as has been demonstrated by very severe tests.

It is the object ofmy invention to provide a safe with novel means for closing the joint between the wall of the door-opening and the door; further, to provide a safe with novel means at the joint between the door and the wall of the door-opening, comprising a yieldable sheet of fireresisting material arranged to be deflected by pressure on the joint; further, to provide a safe with novel means between the door and the wall of the doorcpening, comprising a. fire-resisting resilient sheet between coinplcmental faces of the joint arranged to have its form changed by the pressure of the door when closing the door and to return to normal form when the door is opened; further, to provide novel means for accommodating a sheet of this character; and, further to provide a joint with aleaf-spring, complemental to the Wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door, arranged to exert pressure upon said wall and said margin when the door is closed.

The invention will be further readily understood from the following description and claims, and from the drawings, in which latter:

Fig. l is a horizontal section of a safe embodying my invention, taken in the plane of the line 11 of Fig. 2.

2 is a vertical section the same. taken in the plane of the line 22 of Fig. l.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922. Serial No. 397,288.

a. vertical section of the same, plane of the line of Fig. l. a horizontal section of a safe f ingle door, and having mv inven- U011. applied thereto. a U

r 1g. 5 is a vertical section of a detail of a safe embodying my invention. taken in the plane of the line 55 of Fig.1.

6 is a. vertical section of the same taken in the plane of he line 66 of Fi l, with the door removed. 0

7 is a horizontal section of the same taken in the plane of the line 7. of Fig. 6, showing the door open.

Fig. 8 is a similar section, with the door removed, and showing the resilient sheet in refiexedrclation in full lines, and in flexed relation in dotted lines; and,

Fig. 9 is an edge elevation of one of the hinge-corners of the door.

l have in another application for patent, aerial No. 397,287, filed July 19. 19-20, copending with this application. shown, described and broadly claimed that part of my invention herein shown, described and claimed which relates to the slanting face and wedge joint between the doors, and between the door and the wall of the dooropening, to which reference is herein made.

The body of the safe is shown at 21, as

ctmprising an inner wall 22, and an outer wait 23. preferably of sheet-metal. forming avity between said inner and outer'walls, instance at the sides, top, bottom and back of the safe, in which suitable fire-resisting material may be located in suitable manne This cavity is shown as containing a tire-resisting body 25 of suitable composition. Suitable reenforce angle-plates, which may be of sheet-steel, are shown at 26. at -l1e corners of the body.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, which show double-door safe, the doors are represented t 27 and 28, respectively hinged to the body by iinges 29, 30, the pivot-pins of which are 1 shown at 81, 32.

Each of the doors comprises a. front wall a rear wall 36, and an edge or marginal wall 37 surrounding the door, to form a cavity in the door, in which a suitable fire-resist' 1 body 38 is placed, as desired, prefer- I to provide a bolt-work and lock space 39. The door-opening is shown at ell. The wall l2 of the door-opening and the marpins should be removed.

ginal wall 37 of the door are provided with complemental. fire-resisting means. i

I have shown an exemplification of my invention, wherein a resilient fire-resisting sheet is interposed between the wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door.

This is exemplified at the hinge-edge of the door, but is not limited to such location. The construction betweenthe upper wall of the door-opening and the upper margin of the door, between the lower wall of the dooropening and the lower margin of the door, between the margins of the doors at their swinging edges when double-doors are employed, and between the swinging margin the door and the complemental wall of the door-openin when a single door is employed, may be the same as shown, descr1bed and broadly claimed in my copendmg applicat on.

The fire-resisting resihent sheet 1s exem- 1 H plme-u as a sheet metal sheet, ior instance of sheet-steel, which acts resiliently between the wall of the door-opening and the margin which the sheet-steel is formed with a bend to form a rearwardly extending portion 1-9. At the rear "edge of the latter there is a bend to form a laterally inwardly extending portion 50. At the inner edge of the latter there is a bend to form a rearwardly extending portion 51, and at, the rear edge of the latter there is a bend to form a laterally extending inner flange 52. The inner wall 22 of the body is fixed to the rearwardly extending portion 51, as by welding, and the side wall 53 of the cabinet-w rk for the interior of the safe is located in rear of the flange 52, when employed.

The portions l8, a9 and form a groove 5st, in which a tongue 55, extending lengthwise of the hinge-edge of the door, is received when the door is closed, to retain the door in the door-opening and to prevent removal of the door if the hinges or hinge- 7 The groove 54: preferably extends throughout the height of the wall of the door-opening at the hinge edge thereof.

he margin of the door is preferably formed of sheet-metal, for instance sheetsteel, and, at its hinge-edge, is exemplified as comprising a laterally and inwardly extending front flange 56, at the outer edge of which there is a bend in the sheet-steel to form a reaiwvardly extendingportion 57. At

the rear end of the latter there is a bend to form a laterally outwardly extending portion 58, at the outer edge of which there is a rearwardly extending portion 59, and at the rear edge of the latter there is a bend to form posed in the joint, and is shown located in the groove 54. It is exemplified as a bent strip of sheet-metal, for instance sheet-steel, the bend extending crosswise of the groove and the sheet extending preferably throughout the height of the groove, to form separated lines of pressure lengthwise of the sheet.

Suitable means are provided for holding the sheet in place, preferably in such manner as to maintain the movability of the sheet so as to cause continued pressure between the wall of'the door-opening and the margin of the door. The means for holding the sheet in place are exemplified as screws 68, for holding one edge of the sheet to the bottom wall of the groove, the screws preferabl passing through slots 69 in the sheet and into the wall 42 to permit lengthwise expansion of the sheet on its support. The securing means are preferably located at the rear edge of the sheet. blight spaces 67 at the ends of the sheet allow for such expansion and prevent buckling of. the sheet. 7

The sheet is in its normal formation preferably of less width than the face against which it is received, so as to form a space or spaces 70 between the edge or edges of the sheet and the end or ends of the wall with which it coacts, to permit ready flexing of the sheet, when pressure is applied thereon, inorder that it may change-its form, becoming more flat, for instance, when closing the door. The resiliency of the sheet causes it to reflex when pressure is removed at any part of the sheet, and to maintain close union between the wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door throughout he height of v the'joint, with pressure bythe sheet on the complemental facesin caseof variation of space between said wall and said margin. As an exemplification, referring to Fig. 8, the sheet in full lines shows the reflexed form of the sheetwhen'the do'or'is swung open as shown. in Fig. 7, to relieve pressure on the curved sheet-metal sheet, whereas the sheet in dotted lines in Fig. 8 shows the flexed condition of the sheet when the door is closed for exerting pressure upon said sheet.

I have found that in case of subjecting this structure to the intense heat of afire, the sheet maintains the closeness of the j oint and prevents the passage of gases, oxygen or air, or circulation, through-the joint. In case of warping of the metal of the body subjected to the direct heat of the fire, cans ing separation between the wall of the body and the margin of the door forming additional space in the'joint or parts of the joint between the door and the margin of the door-opening, as sometimes happens in cases of fire, the sheet-metal sheet maintains the closeness of the joint between the wall and the margin by continuously reflexing and closing any space throughout the whole or any portion of the length of the joint which may be formed between the wall and the margin, the sheethaving been partially flexed when closing the door.

The sheet is preferably distanced from the front edge of the joint, there being preferably also a change in the direction of the walls of the joint between the sheet and the front edge of the joint, which aids in maintaining resiliency of the sheet which, as it prevents the beginning of circulation through the joint, maintains its resiliency and function, as has been demonstrated in practice. The sheet is exemplified as bowed in crosssection, with its edges presenting toward one of the complemental members and its curved portion presented toward the other of said compleinental members. hen pressure be tween the complemental members is exerted upon the bowed sheet, the sheet is subjected to spaced-apart lines of pressure, the sheet flexing between said lines of pressure, the edges spreading, decreasing the bow in the sheet, that is to say, reducing it to a more flattened condition, whereby pressure is exerted upon the margin of the door and the wall of the door-opening respectively, in the present exemplification, at the middle of the sheet and at the edges of the sheet.

The structure hereinbefore described is exemplified as at the hinge-joint between the body and the door, but my invention is not limited to said location, or to the fore of the sheet described, the invention including other relations and forms within the scope of the appended claims.

If desired, the form of my invention shown and described in my said copending application, may be applied between the doors and between the swinging edge, top and bottom of the door and the wall of the dooropening.

Thus, in the present exemplification the wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door at the swinging edge, and at the top 7 and bottom edges of the door, have complemental faces which coact with pressure between them to urge approach between the all of the door-opening and the margin of the door, whereas the sheet-metal sheet has a tendency to urge separation between said wall and said margin, not sufficient however to effect actual separation between the same. These complemeutal faces are shown as iuclined faces to form a seal when the door is closed.

The complemental coacting faces preferably extend slantingly with relation to the plane of the door when the door is closed, and are preferably located at an acute angle in an acute angle to said plane, and preferably slant forwardly toward the middle of the door when the door is closed. They preferably exert lateral pressure upon one another, for instance, in the general direction of the plane of the door to form a close joint when the door is closed, the pressure exerted by the face on the door being preferably in adirection toward the middle portion of the door, so as to normally urge the wall of the door-opening toward the door when the door is closed.

The wall of the door-opening is at its top and bottom (see Figs. 2 and 6), and at the side cooperating with the swinging edge of the door, when a single-door is employed, (see Fig. 4) shown formed with a forwardly projecting wedge-like rib 76 and a rearwardly projecting wedge-she ed groove 77 The marginal wall of the door coacting with the marginal wall of the door-opening is provided with a rearwardly projecting wedge-like rib 7 8 and a wedge-shaped groove 79. The rearwardly projecting wedge-like rib 78 coacts with the forwardly projecting wedgedilre rib 76 of the wall of the dooropening.

In the present exemplification the wall of the door-opening is provided with a front laterally outwardly extending flange 81, fixedly secured to the front wing of the front angle-plate 26, as by rivets or welding. At the inner edge of this flange, the sheet-metal of the wall of the door-opening is, at the margins last stated, bent rearwardly to form a rearwardly and inwardly slanting portion 82, at the rear end of which latter there is a forward lateral inward bend to form a portion 83, which co-acts with the portion 82 to form the wedgegroove 77. At the forward end of said portion 83, the sheet-metal is provided with a bend to form a rearwardly and laterally and inwardly extending portion 8%, which, with the portion 83, forms the wedge-like rib 76.

At the rear end of the portion 84,-, the wall of the door-opening is provided with a bend to form a shoulder 85 and a laterally outwardly extending portion 86. At the outer edge of the latter, the wall is provided with a rearward bend to form a rearwardly extending portion 87. The rear edge of the latter is provided with an inward bend to form a laterally inwardly extend ing flange 88. The rearwardly extending portion 87 is preferably fixedly secured, as

' is a bend to form a forwardly and inwardly laterally slantingportion 93, to form the wedge-like rearwardly projecting wedge 78. At the front edge of the latter there is arearward bend to form a rearwardly laterally and inwardly projecting portion 94, which coacts with the portion 93 to form the wedge-shaped groove 7 9.

At the rear edge of the portion 9 1 there is a lateral inward bend to form a laterally inwardly extending portion 95, at the inner end of which there is a bend to form a rearwardly extending portion 96, at the rear end of which latter there is a lateral extending flange 97, to which the rear plate 36 of the door may be suitably secured, as by screws 98. The portions 95 and 96 form a recess in which the ends of the bolts are normally located when the bolts are withdrawn for opening the door.

The wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door are preferably formed up out of sheet-metal by pressing or other suitable method.

- The front wall 35 of the door preferably laps the front edge of the joint between the door and the wall of the door opening at the hinge edge of the door, as shown at 101, a space 102' being inrear of the lap. The front wall of the door is suitably-rigidly secured to the flanges 91, as by rivets or welding, and the flanges 81 and sheet-metal filler strips 80 are suitably rigidly secured to the front flanges of the angle-plates 26, as by rivets or welding.

When a safe is provided with a double door, one of the doors is, in the present exemplification, at the joint between the doors, formed similarly to the wall of the door-opening, cooperating with the swinging edge of a single door structure, the parts being indicated by similar but primed reference numerals, except that the flange 88 is turned the reverse way to project toward the middle portion of the door.

Coacting faces are thus formed at the joint between the doors by the faces 83, 93', which coact similarly vto the faces 83, 98, and preferably act with lateral pressure to form a close seal-joint between the doors,

andact to hold the doors toward each other when the doors are close Suitable means are provided for holding the door or doors in closed relation. Thus bolts 104, 105, 106 and 107 are provided to coact with the shoulders 85 of the wall of the door-opening, the ends of the bolts coacting with the shoulders being provided with inclined faces 111, coacting with said shoulders to draw the doors inwardly, whereby lateral pressure in the direction of the plane of the door, when the door is closed, is exerted upon the complemental inclined faces between the door and'the wall of the door-opening, at the swinging end of the door and between the tops and bottoms of the door and wall of the door-opening. Bolts 112 act between the doors when double doors are employed, and are provided with similar wedge-faces 111. g

Suitable operating means 7 and locking means are provided for the bolts, not more particularly described because well-known.

A separating tendency betweenthe wall of the door-opening and the margin of the door is resisted by the forwardly projecting face 83, received to the inside of the rearwardly projecting face 93, considered viewed from the front of the safe, preferably with pressure, tending to increase pressure-between said complemental faces, so as to more firmly hinge or hinge pintles should be removed,

and, further, provides a resilient flexible cross-sectionally bent fire-resisting sheet be tween the complemental, faces of the joint to rontinuously avoid separation due to warping'or bending between the compleznental members, to continuously prevent the passage of gases, air or oxygen, or circulation, through the joint, and, further, provides a convenient compressively acting wedge-like joint between the margin door and the wall of the door-opening, where the slanting faces are employed, acting to hold said wall toward said margin and resisting separating movement between the same.

My improved structure exemplified herei further provides a safe in which there is a resiliently acting sheet-metal. sheet in the hinge-joint which acts with continual reflex-- ing pressure in the joint to maintain the j ointclosed, and provides joints throughout the balance of the margin of the door acting to prevent separation between the wall of. the door-opening and the margin of the door, the rearwardly and outwardly slanting wall 93 or" the rib 7 8 of the door being received to outside of the forwardly and inwart ly slanting wall 83 of the rib T6 of the wall of the door-opening, these directions being the directions of said walls viewed from the front of the safe. These walls 93 are pressed toward the walls 88, as by the wedge faces 111 on the bolts, when the bolts are closed.

Ha ing thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l a a safe the combination of the wall of a door-opening and a door comprising complemental metal parts including a cross sectionally bent resilient sheet arranged to form a fire-resisting joint by bodily flexing said sheet.

.2. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door having a margin, a complemental wall for said margin, said margin and said complemental wall having a joint between them comprising opposite faces, and a resilient flre resisting strip between said opposite faces, said opposite faces having spaced-- apart lines of contact with opposite sides of said resilient strip whereby to cross-sectionally bend said resilient strip by pressure between said spaced-apart lines of eontact and said resilient strip when said door is closed.

3. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a door having a margin, a complemental wall for said margin, said margin and said complemental wall having a joint between them comprising opposite faces, and a resilient fire-resisting strip between said opposite faces, said strip arranged with its side faces presented toward said opposite faces, said opposite faces having spaced-apart nonopposite lines of'contact with opposite sides of said strip whereby to bend said reslhent' strip crosswise of its width by pressure be tween said spaced-apart lines of contact and said resilient strip when said door is closed.

4:. In a safe, the combination of a door, a complemental wall for said door to form a joint with the margin of said door comprising opposite faces, and a lire-resisti1 igresilient sheet between said faces acted on. by said faces by approach between said faces to automatically vary the cross-sectional form of said fireresisting resilient sheet while its 7 cross-sectional diameters are retained.

5. A fire-resisting safe comprising the wall of a door-opening, a door, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet-structure in the joint between said wall and said door, said resilient flexible sheet-structure normally bent crosswise of said oint to presentspacedapart lines of pressure to said wall and said door said lines of pressure spaced-apart in the direction of width of said sheet, whereby to flex said sheet-structure between said lines of pressure when the door is closed.

6. A fire-resisting safe comprising the wall of a dooropening, adoor, and a resilient flexible steel sheet in the joint between said wall and said 'door, said resilient flexible steel sheet normally bent crosswise of said joint to present spaced-apart lines of pressure to said wall and said door to flex said steel sheet between said lines of pressure to a more nearly flat condition when said door is closed, and said steel sheet automatically flexing toward normal relation upon separation between said wall and the complemental portion of said door.

7. A fire-resisting safe comprising the wall of a door-opening and a door having a joint between them, and a resilient flexible fireresisting sheet between complemental faces in said joint, said resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet normally bent crosswise of said joint and having spaced-apart lines of pressure presented toward said complemental faces and arranged whereby shifting between said spaced-apart lines of pressure in the direction of general width of said sheet takes place by approach or separation between said faces.

8. A fire-resisting safe comprising a body having a door-opening, a door, hinge mechanism between said body and said door, the wall of said door-opening and the margin of said door comprising a tongue and groove retaining joint proximate to said hinge mechanism, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet in said'tongue and groove retaining joint, said resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet bent crosswise of said joint to present spaced-apart lines of'pressure to said wall and margin, and automatically flexed by approach and separation between said wall and margin.

9. fire-resisting safe comprisingthe wall of a door-opening and a door having a joint between them, a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet between complemental faces in said joint, said resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet normally bent crosswise of said joint and having spaced-apart lines of pressure presented toward said complemental faces, and means for securing said. resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet to a portion of said complemental faces, and arranged whereby shifting between said spacedapart lines of pressure in the direction of general width of said sheet takes place by approach or separation between said faces.

10. A fire-resisting safe comprising the wall of a door-opening and a door having a joint between them, a resilient flexible fireresisting sheet between complemental faces in said joint, said resilient flexible'fire-resisting sheet normally bent crosswise of said joint and having spaced-apart lines of pressure presented toward said complemental faces, and means for securing an edge of said sheetto a portion of said complemental faces, and arranged whereby automatic separation between the edges of said sheet takes place upon approach between said complemental faces and automatic approach between said edges takes place upon separation betweensaid complemental faces. 11. A fire-reslstlng safe comprising the wall of a door-opening and a door having a joint'between them, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet between complemental faces in sald oint, said resilientflexible fire-resisting sheet normally bent crosswise of said joint and having spaced-apart lines of pressure presented toward said complednental faces, the width of said bent sheet in said normal condition being less than the width of said complemental faces, and arranged whereby shifting between the 'normal width of said sheet and the width of said complemental faces automatically takes of said door at saidhinge-mechanism, and.

saidresilient'sheet acting with pressure in separatlng direction between said wall and saidmargin when sa1ddoor1s closed, and

' said wall and said margin comprising coniplemental sheet-walls to form a joint located within said door whereby to resist separation between said wall and said margin.

13. In a fire-resisting safe, the combina tion of a body having a door-opening, a door, h1nge-mechan1sm between said body and said door, and a fire-resisting sheet normally bent crosswise between the wall of said door-opening and the margin of said door at said hinge-mechanism, said resilient sheet acting with pressure in separating direction between said wall and said margin when said door is closed, and said door and acomplemental wall having a joint between them located within the door and acting to. draw saidcomplemental wall and said margin toward one another.

'14. In a fire-resisting safe, the combina tion of the body having a door-opening provided with a wall, .a door provided with a margin, hinge-mechanism :between said body and said door, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet extendinglengthwise of the hinge-joint and normally bent cross-- wise of said joint, and said door and a complemental wall provided with complemental sheet-metal faces within said door arranged with relation to said whereby to cause pressure when said door hinge-mechanism is closed, between said faces to draw said complemental wall and said margin toward one another.

15. In a fire-resisting safe,'the combination of a body, a door, a hinge-joint between said door and said body, a joint for the swinging end of said door, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet in said hinge joint acting with-separating pressure between opposite faces of the hinge-joint be tween said body and said door, there being spaced-apart.non-opposite lines of contact between said first-named faces and said resilient flexible sheet whereby to cross-sectionally bodily flex said resilient flexible sheet when said door is closed, andsaid swinging end of said door and a complemental wall comprising complement-a1 faces within said door when said door is closed arranged with relation to the hinged end of said door to resist separation between said complemental wall and said swinging end of said door.

16. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a body, a door, a hinge-joint between said door and said body, joints respectively between the top and bottom of said door and said body, said hinge-joint comprising a tongue and a groove having opposite faces, said second-named joints comprising coacting wedge faces, said wedge faces merging into said tongue and groove, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet in said hingejoint, there being spaced-apart non-opposite lines of contact between said first-named faces and said resilient flexible sheet where by to cross-sectionally bodily flex said resilicnt flexible sheet when said door is closed.

17. In a fire-resisting safe, the combination of a body, a door, a hinge-joint between said doorand said body comprisingopposite faces, a joint for theswinging end of said door, and a resilient flexible fire-resisting sheet in said hingejoint acting with separating pressure between said body and said door, there being spaced-apart non-opposite lines of contact between said first-named faces and'said resilient flexible sheet whereby to cross-sectionally bodily flex said resilientfiexible sheet when said door is closed, and said swinging end of said door and a complemental wall comprising complemen talc faces within said door when said door is closed arranged with relation to the hinged end of said door to resist separation between said complemental wall and said swinging end of said door. 7 f

In testimony. whereof, I have hereunto si ned my name in the presenceof two subscribing witnesses.

PAUL s. MILLIOE. In presence .of-

RALPH L. HINDS, DEL-MA I WnnNsme, 

